My humblest thanks to all who are reading, whether or not you post a review. I am just glad you're reading and hope you enjoy the story.
And thanks to those who post (I hope you don't feel obligated to do so, but please know that I am very grateful for each and every one): Jezriana2.0, Jokerisdaking, Ari-Griffin, Lkillingsworth, Lonestarr, JPMod, Classic Cowboy, CptnShort, Mithlond88, Sestren NK, Unspoken Flame, knuckz, willk1989, ps2teen1213, sehnsucht792, Fuzzie Muzzie, recon 228 (with a shout out to the thin blue line. Thanks for doing what you do!), kimnronever, Tanya16, RainingInsanity, Kimberly Ann Possible, zebraFinch, aimtbj, poeticsoul, Cold-Chaos, BluJae, and Rynbard.
Today is Kim's wedding day:
Chapter 10
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…
Four in the morning. Unable to sleep. His mind just wouldn't shut down.
Ron was trying to fill in the blanks of the last four days and theorize just exactly how Ray managed to convince Kim that Ronin and Deathray were the same person.
When Kim had left, his parents came in a few minutes later. They were, of course, relieved to find him living. But they were clearly confused. His father was downright uncomfortable. Neither of them asked too many questions. He was sure they felt in some ways it might be better not to know the entire truth. In fact, the one question they never asked him was 'why'. Ron was alive, and that alone was enough to deal with for the time being.
Then things got worse.
His parents left, and he could feel their relief at the prospect of getting out of that room. The police came in and bombarded him with questions. How does the Deathray suit work? Where can we find this mysterious 'Wade' person? Are you aware that you endangered the life of one of the most respected neural physicists on the planet?
The words 'I don't know' certainly didn't seem to satisfy their curiosity.
From their questions, Ron was able to gather a little information. The Deathray suit was in a guarded police impound lot downtown. Ron was going to be brought up an a slew of charges, the most serious being reckless endangerment. They'd disconnected his phone, and taken away the TV. In addition, they were posting a twenty-four hour police guard outside his room, and would transfer him to the Middleton Maximum Security Prison to await trial when the doctor felt he was sufficiently recovered. A judge had already ordered Ron to be remanded without bail. Too much of a flight risk.
Ron looked out his window in complete despair. The orange glow of the streetlight outside lit up his room, giving everything a surreal appearance.
There were too many missing pieces to the puzzle. And the worst part was, Ron wasn't sure he would be able to bring the truth to light. The wedding was today. Kim would be on her honeymoon by tonight… he pushed that thought away. The idea that this monster, who'd apparently been cheating on her with Shego no less, would be… no, he couldn't think about that right now. But the real certainty of defeat was the fact that the police were involved, and they seemed to be pointing the finger in his direction. This is probably why his parents acted the way they did earlier.
Not for the first time today did Ron wish they hadn't saved him.
He got up to use the bathroom. He was still a little weak, but his strength was coming back to him. He thought hard about what he should do next. Maybe it was too late. Sometimes the bad guys won. The previous night he was convinced that he deserved to die for the suffering he had caused everyone. A lifetime in jail seemed like a light sentence.
No.
Self-pity and loathing is what had caused all this. If he hadn't walked away from Kim in the first place, Ray would never have been an issue. If he hadn't faked his death, Kim never would have been put in danger. And if he hadn't surrendered himself to Deathray…
It was time for Ron to forgive himself and accept what he'd done. He couldn't go back twenty-four hours, or a week, or six years and prevent himself from making three colossal mistakes. But he could prevent future ones. All he could do now was try to bring out the truth, and if he failed, then he would be put away for a long time. On the other hand, if he did nothing, he'd be put away for a long time. Seemed like there was only one option.
Coming out of the bathroom, he noticed his room was almost completely dark. He looked out the window.
The Ninjet was hovering just outside.
Momentarily blinding him, the landing lights blinked twice, then the aircraft rose toward the roof of the medical center.
Ron looked around. The police had taken his Ronin suit, of course, and there was the guard posted outside to think about. He went back into the bathroom, stood on the toilet, and lifted one of the ceiling tiles. He hoisted himself up. He wasn't sure how he'd get from that crawlspace to the roof. But it was a start.
An hour later, Ron found himself in the nurse's lounge on the top floor. Knowing the stairwell roof access door would be locked, he climbed out the window, scooted along the ledge, and shimmied up the drain pipe at the corner of the building. He decided this was an extraordinary feat considering the fact that he was still a little weak, plus he'd made it from his room to the roof in a backless hospital gown. And oh my, wasn't the air at five o'clock in the morning just a little nippy?
The Ninjet was parked at the far corner of the roof, well away from the helipad where the hospital security cameras were watching. Ron walked all the way around the edge of the roof, hoping the cameras wouldn't pick him up. If they did, there wasn't much he could do about it. Three feet away from the Ninjet, the cockpit slid open. Wade appeared on the screen.
"I tapped into the hospital security cameras, and I'm feeding them a ten second loop of an empty roof." Wade informed him.
"Well, then why not-"
"Park on the helipad? What if someone needed emergency care? That's like parking in a handicapped space!" Wade seemed almost offended.
"Yes, of course, what was I thinking? Oh hey, good news. Kim thinks Deathray was my invention." He said matter-of-factly.
"I gathered that from some of the chatter I heard on the police bands yesterday." Wade acknowledged.
"It gets better," Ron continued, "Kim thinks you piloted the Deathray suit so we could stage mock battles that made me look like a hero."
"How is Kim buying into this? I've been trying the Kimunicator for the last two days and she won't answer. I mean…hey, who is Deathray anyway? All I ever saw was a fuzzy green sonar image of two people who looked like they were kissing."
"Ah, that would be Ray Beam, and Shego." Ron informed him.
"Ray Beam and Shego," Wade repeated, "Kim's fiancé…and Shego. So Ray was trying to kill you the night of the reunion, and then at the bank, he said he just wanted you and not Kim. Oh man, he knocked Kim off the roof! Who is this guy? He must have figured out who you were. But why would he want you dead?"
"Hey, Wade," Ron said through chattering teeth, "Can we discuss this later? I'm standing here in a backless hospital gown."
"There's a spare suit in the compartment. And you said I was being obsessive when I made six of 'em", Wade mocked him.
"I didn't think it was obsessive," Ron said defensively, "These things are expensive. It just sounded unnecessary."
"This from the guy who once bought a two hundred karat diamond as a pinky ring." Wade challenged.
"Touché," Ron responded, "Hey, I don't suppose you packed any ninja boxers in here?"
"Sorry man, you're gonna have to go commando on this one."
"I hope Kevlar doesn't chafe", Ron said worriedly.
"Good thinking", Wade said sarcastically, "Because that's your biggest problem right now. You're sounding like the old Ron Stoppable. How much Morphine did they give you?"
"None!" Ron said euphorically. He was actually beginning to feel like his old, unfocused goofball self.
Ron finished dressing, pulled on the mask, stepped to the edge of the roof, and looked out over Middleton. Low on the horizon, he could see the barest beginnings of daylight. The sun was about to rise on Kim Possible's wedding day. He took a deep, cleansing breath. For everything that felt wrong in his world at the moment, he still felt somehow rejuvenated. For the first time in a long time he had a purpose that extended beyond himself. If for no other reason, Kim had to know the truth before she became the bride of Deathray.
But bringing the truth to light was bound to be a delicate process. Ron already had two strikes against him; he'd walked away from Kim without explanation all those years ago, and then he'd faked his death. Those were things he couldn't deny. And they were probably contributing factors to the reason Kim believed Ron was Deathray. After all, he already had one secret identity, why not two? If he simply went over to her house and told her everything… she already thought he was crazy. This might just confirm her suspicions.
"So what now, Ronin?" Wade asked switching to the audio on the mask.
"Ron."
"Huh?"
"Let's leave Ronin alone for now. I feel like I just need to be Ron for awhile." He said introspectively.
"Seriously?" Wade sounded delighted.
"Yeah. Maybe we can bring Ronin back some time…I dunno. I guess I feel like I've been reborn in some ways."
"You were," Wade said, "I don't know if anyone told you this but you were dead for a few seconds."
"Yeah?"
"Yup."
"Hmmm" Ron almost sounded disappointed, "I didn't have any light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel experiences or nothing."
"Bummer," Wade sympathized, "Hey, you think maybe we should get moving?"
"In a minute," Ron assured him, "This could be my last morning as a free man. What am I saying, I'm already a fugitive."
He gazed out over the city, soaking in the quiet morning moments, knowing today was going to be a hectic day. And he supposed that might be putting it mildly. He breathed deeply the morning air again. It was time to get to work. He turned to get into the Ninjet.
"Wait", Wade said quickly, "Now that Ron has returned there's something I want him to do for me."
"What?"
"Just say it once." Wade insisted.
"Say what once…aw, Wade…no, man it's five in the morning, I'm on the roof of a hospital." Ron protested.
"Come on," Wade coaxed, "Just one time. You know you want to!"
Wade was right, he did want to. He drew his lungs full of air and prepared to let loose. It had always been his victory shout. But today, it would be his battle cry.
"BOOYAH!"
There was half a second of silence and then both of them burst out laughing. Ron couldn't remember the last time he really laughed. It was like taking off a heavy backpack after a hundred mile hike. He really did feel reborn.
Something suddenly occurred to Ron. For the past year, and especially right now, he had one friend in the world. The very thought made him suddenly emotional.
"Hey Wade," he said with conviction, "I know I've never said this to you, but thanks."
"For what?"
"Everything. Just everything." Ron began to tear up, "You're the only friend I have in the world right now. I mean, I wasn't even surprised when I saw the jet hovering outside my window this morning. I knew you'd be there for me. I…thanks."
"No problem" Wade said quietly, "But hey, before we start picking out a china pattern, why don't we go see if we can't take down Deathray?"
"Works for me" Ron said, climbing into the cockpit.
"Oh, and Ron?" Wade said quickly.
"Yeah?"
"Welcome back."
…to join in wedded matrimony; this man, Ray Lourdes Beam…
He normally didn't like to wake this early. But today was his wedding day after all. Maybe it was the excitement of his pending marriage. Or maybe he was still pumped from having pulled off the unthinkable. The authorities were going to pin Deathray on Stoppable. It was beautiful, just beautiful. Could he be more proud of himself? He didn't think so.
He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again the room was glowing green. He turned to look at her and chuckled. She'd been doing that a lot lately; flaring up her fists in her sleep. He supposed it was like when dogs dream and their legs twitch involuntarily.
He got up, went into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Well, more to the point, he admired himself in the mirror. This was not the face of a mere man. Other men were pathetic. They married plain women and had bratty kids and worked stupid jobs. But not Ray. Ray beam would have Kim Possible to decorate his arm, and an occasional slice of her arch foe on the side. And to top it all off, he would soon be the most feared and respected man in the world. But all in due time.
Yes, it almost came crashing down around him four days ago.
He remembered battling the twins at the fairgrounds. His cell phone rang; Kim's ring tone. He flew off at supersonic speed, leaving the twins to choke in his jet wash. Under other circumstances he would have let it go to voicemail, but he was a bit surprised to find the twins waiting for him at the fairgrounds. Something was up, and his fiancé might know what.
He was glad he took the call.
She was at Middleton Medical Center with an unconscious Stoppable, who, she informed him, was also Ronin. She'd gotten a call from an old friend who told her where the lair was. When she got there, she found Stoppable. Just wanted to call and let Ray know where she was. She'd call him later to tell him everything.
Well, that was it. The jig was up. Any minute Stoppable would wake up and tell her all about Deathray. And then everything he'd worked for, everything he'd planned would collapse. Furiously he cursed himself as he realized Stoppable had never actually left the lair. Probably slipped out of the tank and hidden somewhere nearby. This just made him hate Stoppable that much more for making him look so stupid. What an idiot Deathray must have looked like running up the ramp and out of the lair. He could alost hear Stoppable's laughter. But then he picked up that signal from the ninja's aircraft and took off after it. He was a little surprised to find it inbound but then he'd just assumed Stoppable had turned the craft around to taunt him or whatever. Deathray's evening was just one rookie move after another. It didn't occur to him until later to check around the tank for some kind of water trail, or take a quick look around the lair.
He got back to the lair to find Shego all shrugs and apologies. Had she seen anything?
Yes.
Well, what was it?
Stoppable lying in a heap out in the alley. She would have dragged him back in but Kim Possible pulled up.
Ray powered up the disintegrator. He knew she was lying. Kim had said she was in the lair.
"You told me not to reveal myself to Kim Possible until you said I could." Shego reminded him.
She was right. He had told her that. He began to squeeze the trigger on the disintegrator anyway, when something caught his attention. There at the bottom of the ramp was the ninja's mask.
An idea began to take shape.
Ray called his fiancé and asked how Stoppable was doing.
Still unconscious.
They'd have to work fast. First thing he did was seal up the corridor leading to the cave. OK, so it wasn't a "cave" per se, but he couldn't think of something better to call a hollowed out chamber the size of a football stadium. So "cave" it was, but the important thing was to seal off that corridor – at both ends - and make that part of the lair look like a wall. From now on when they needed to get into the cave, they'd use the other entrance. This lair just became Ronin's secret hideout.
He erased every last bit of information in the computers and set Shego to work writing a fake journal or some kind of diary. It would probably take her most of the night to complete it. But if Stoppable was as bad off as it seemed, then maybe he wouldn't wake up for awhile.
Timing would be crucial, he had to wait right up until the moment Stoppable regained consciousness. That way it would be fresh in her mind. The longer Stoppable was out, the better.
The following day, Stoppable was still unconscious. He'd closed the huge corridor doors and had Shego weld it shut. The diary she'd written the previous night was lame, but it would suffice. He moved a bank of computers in front of the corridor doors and figured it looked enough like a wall. Then he had Shego weld the door at the other end of the corridor shut, and that was that.
Day three since Stoppable went to the hospital. It was time for some play-acting. He went to see Kim at the Medical Center.
"How's he doing?" He tried to put as much concern into his voice as he could.
"The same", she said, full of emotion. She obviously still had some feelings for Stoppable. Oh, he just wanted to throttle her right there!
"Listen, I want you to tell me exactly where you found that lair." He said quietly.
"Why?"
"Well, maybe we can get the police down there and check things out. The twins said Deathray flew away from Middleton at high speed. Maybe he's gone. No one's seen him since then."
"No", she decided, "It's too dangerous. You shouldn't go down there alone."
You did! His mind screamed.
"Of course," He pretended to think a moment, "What if the twins went with me? Chances are Deathray's gone, and if we can take a look at the place, then maybe we can find out where he went. Or even who he is."
"I don't know, Ray" she said doubtfully.
"Look, your brothers have all that equipment and stuff. We'll go down there and if there's any sign of Deathray at all, we'll get out fast. How's that sound?"
"Well…" again she doubted.
He kissed her forehead lovingly, "We'll go check it out, you stay here and watch after Ron. And you call me the minute he wakes up, alrighty?
She just nodded.
He asked her for directions to the lair and then called the twins. Everything was ready.
The trick was not to be the one to make the crucial discoveries. If the twins found this or that then it would seem as though Ray had nothing to do with any of it other than just being there when they uncovered everything. And it was exactly what happened. They found the lair, found the Deathray suit, and found that everything had been wiped from the computer memory except the journal.
"What do you think this means?" Ray asked them.
"I really don't know," Jim answered, "It's just been such a crazy week, first Ron's dead, now he's alive. First Ronin's dead, now he's Ron. But would he really pull this elaborate hoax just to win back my sister?"
"That just doesn't seem like the guy we worked with" Tim put in. "But then again, the guy we worked with didn't seem like Ron. Why would he erase all his computer files and leave what is easily the most incriminating evidence?"
"Maybe it was a guilty conscience," Jim said forlornly, "Maybe he finally got tired of living a lie."
Ooh, good one, Ray thought to himself, I didn't think of that angle.
"OK" Ray said aloud, "I think we should call your sister and have her come down here. See what she thinks of all this."
The twins wanted to check out the Deathray suit before doing so, but ultimately Ray convinced them to wait for Kim. It took some persuading, but she finally decided to come to the lair.
To Ray's delight, she took everything pretty hard. And when Jim wanted to check out the suit, Kim knew where the latch was, and thus she was the one who found Ronin's mask inside.
"I can't believe this was all some hoax!" She said, hurt and angry.
"But at the fairgrounds," Tim offered, "Deathray asked where Stoppable was, and actually made a point of saying Ronin was Ron Stoppable."
"And why would he drown himself if he's trying to impress Kim?" Jim asked.
Ray's mind raced frantically.
"Well", he suggested slowly, "Maybe impressing your sister wasn't his intended outcome. Kim, you said you got a frantic call from your computer friend, yes?"
Kim nodded.
"Maybe it's like Jim said earlier", Ray continued helpfully, but with as much sadness as he could put into his tone of voice, "He couldn't handle living a lie, and decided to end himself, leaving the journal as a sort of suicide note. Only your friend got wind of it and couldn't let Ron finish himself off."
Ray held his breath.
Kim nodded slowly, "I guess so."
Score!"Seven years ago," she continued, "I never would have believed it. But after this week…"
"Well, we can ask him about it when he wakes up", Ray said sympathetically, "But it sounds like Ron needs some professional help."
No one said anything for a bit.
"I promised his parents I'd be there when he woke up", Kim said, pushing back tears, "But we're getting married the day after tomorrow, and I could use a happy event in my life right now. For now let's call the authorities and tell them about this place, and we'll sort it all out with Ron when we get back from our honeymoon."
Smiling at himself in the mirror on the morning of his wedding, Ray thought just how perfectly Kim played into his hands. He thought again about what she had said.
We'll sort it all out when we return from our honeymoon.
He chuckled to himself.
Of course, Kim didn't know it, but she wouldn't be returning from her honeymoon.
Ever.
…to this woman, Kimberly Anne Possible.
Wedding days were supposed to be happy ones. Just a few hours left before the ceremony and her mind was in turmoil.
Six years with no Ron in her life. Six years after he walked out of her hospital room, never to be seen again, he turns up dead, then alive, then seemingly insane. The worst part was, it all made a twisted sort of sense. The sort of sense she refused to believe right up until the moment she found Ronin's mask in Deathray's cockpit.
Ray helped to put it in perspective.
"I can certainly understand", he had said sympathetically, "I know what it's like to be so crazy about you it might make you do something crazy."
She didn't know what she'd do without Ray.
How could Ron do something like this? This wasn't the Ron she knew. But that day at the hospital six years ago, that wasn't the Ron she knew either. And who knows how much a person could change in six years? Kim knew she certainly was a different person. Once was a time when she was confident, strong, independent. But she wasn't the teen hero anymore. All that had changed. It's what happens when you grow up, she supposed. And something had certainly happened to Ron. Something inside him had snapped and caused him to make unthinkable decisions.
She remembered sitting in the treehouse ten years ago, telling him that they'd have to grow up some day.
Maybe I don't want to grow up, was his response.
And maybe that was it. Maybe the pressures of becoming an adult had gotten to be too much for Ron Stoppable. He always had a childlike quality within him, and the world tended to try and eliminate such qualities in people. But when she thought about all her favorites books, her favorite movies, or even some of Ron's video games, it seemed the makers of all those things were adults who had healthy amounts of child-like qualities.
A very wise man had once written: "It is the stupidest of children who act childish, and the most tiresome of adults who act grown up."
Apparently Ron was unable to strike such a delicate balance. Favoring childhood over maturity, he constructed an elaborate hoax wherein he could pretend to be the superhero, and maybe rescue the girl. But it had all gone bad on him, and he tried to end his own life. Poor, deluded Ron.
Maybe in a way it was good they had a funeral for him. It seemed the Ron Stoppable she had grown up with, the Ron Stoppable she had fallen in love with and had once given her a promise of marriage…that Ron truly was dead. He was a shell of his former self now.
Kim pulled her wedding dress from her closet and gazed at it with a little sadness. Ray wasn't exactly the perfect guy; wasn't exactly what she would call a soul mate. But Ray represented emotional security and dependability. Ray was the marital choice an adult would make; not perfect, but at least he wasn't borderline insane.
Her thoughts turned to the phone call she had received an hour ago. Ron had escaped from the hospital, no doubt with Wade's help. She couldn't tell them where Wade lived, or where Ron was living these days. Who knows, maybe they were roommates?
So now, not only was she getting married today, but her wedding would probably be the first in the history of Middleton to have armed guards. Just the idea that she would have to have an armed security force in case Ron Stoppable tried to break up her wedding brought tears to her eyes. She pushed those thoughts away. She was determined to have the best wedding day she could under the circumstances.
Oh, but then she and Ray would leave for their honeymoon, and she felt so relieved at the idea of spending a week away from Middleton with her new husband. Maybe she'd ask Ray about moving away from Middleton. After all, she could conduct her research just about anywhere. Middleton had too may painful memories. She was sure she could come back for Christmas and things like that, but living here was getting to be too much. Time to move on; with everything in her life.
"Sweetheart?" Her mother was at the top of the stairs.
"Morning, mom," Kim said half-heartedly.
"Today's the big day," even her mother couldn't sound excited about it.
"Sure is." Kim agreed.
Kim's mother came over and put her arms around her daughter. "Everything will be OK, Sweetie."
"I know it will, Mom."
I know it will.
Marriage is a sacred union between two people, and is not to be entered into lightly. If anyone can show just cause why these two should not be joined together…
The Ninjet hovered, hidden inside a cloud while they discussed a possible plan of action.
"You're sure Deathray won't be able to track us up here?" Ron asked, just in case Ray decided to try to eliminate all the loose ends before his wedding.
"Oh yeah," Wade said a little sheepishly, "I've fixed that. Considering all the stealth capabilities of the Ninjet, I couldn't understand how he was able to track it. Then I realized he wasn't tracking the jet, he was tracking my transmissions. Because I pilot it by remote, there's a constant signal going to and coming from the jet. Basically it was like tracing a cell phone signal. I've sufficiently scrambled it now so it should be undetectable."
"OK", Ron acknowledged, "Now what do we know about Ray Beam?"
"I've pulled up every scrap of information I can on him, but there's nothing unusual. No criminal record, nothing." Wade replied.
"What about the Deathray suit? Where could he have gotten that?"
"There are several weapons firms in the world that deal in these kinds of things. Well, one less since you shut down that one near New Zealand. But of all the sites I hacked into, none of them carry a mechanized battlesuit quite like Deathray." Wade explained, "What if he built it himself?"
"I doubt it," Ron replied, "There didn't seem to be that kind of equipment in his lair. In fact the whole place looked sort of temporary."
"Doesn't Ray work at Dr. Possible's lab?" Wade asked.
Ron suddenly smacked his forehead with his open right hand.
"That wasn't me," Wade said defensively.
"I know. Listen, remember the manifest we found at the island warehouse?"
"Oh, man! 'Deathray, Middleton labs'!" Wade said, then smacked his own forehead.
"That wasn't me", Ron mocked.
"Focus, Ron! We didn't know Ray was Deathray at the time. When I searched the online networks of all the labs in Middleton, I didn't bother searching through Dr. Possible's because I assumed he couldn't possibly have anything to do with Deathray."
"And I still don't think he does" Ron stated, "But I'm willing to bet Ray's been working on a few secret projects even Dr. Possible doesn't know about. Search Dr. Possible's network, there should be some-"
"Got it!' Wade interrupted, "A manifest marked 'contents classified' was signed in at Dr. Possible's lab. The manifest number matches the one sent out from the New Zealand company."
"I need to get in to that lab" Ron declared.
"On it!" Wade said. The Ninjet went into a vertical dive.
This being both a Saturday, and Kim Possible's wedding day, the lab was – fortunately for Ron – closed, and practically deserted. One bored security guard was on patrol, but he was easily avoided.. The security systems proved to be a bit more tricky. Wade hacked into them easily enough, but soon discovered that if he shut them down entirely, a separate alarm would trigger and alert the authorities. So instead, Wade ordered the entire system to perform a self-diagnostic. This entailed shutting down the security measures for each room, one at a time. Ronin made his way to Dr. Possible's lab through the air vents and waited for Wade's signal.
"You know, I think half the world's security problems could be solved if they just shrank the air ducts down small enough so humans couldn't crawl through them." Ron observed.
"You know, today's the last day I would have picked for you to be in this kind of mood." Wade said.
"Yeah, I don't know what it is," Ron responded, "It just feels like everything's coming together!"
"Ten seconds," Wade said turning serious, "Stand by."
Ron waited patiently.
"Three…two…one. OK you've got ten minutes." Wade said.
Ron dropped through the air vent silently to the floor and took a look around.
"Scanning everything." Wade notified him.
Ron walked through the lab. The work stations were neat and tidy. There was nothing that looked even remotely suspicious.
"Anything?" Ron asked anxiously.
"Nothing that looks even remotely suspicious," Wade answered.
A few more minutes and they gained no new information. The security systems were about to come back on. Ron began to lose hope.
"Get back into the vent," Wade ordered him.
"No, that can't be it!" Ron protested, "There has to be something here!"
"Ron!" Wade shouted, "Get back into the vent!"
Ron reluctantly climbed back up into the air duct just before the security systems for that room re-engaged.
"Hmm" Wade said in his ear.
"What?" Ron asked hopefully.
"When the security diagnostic cycled to the next area, it skipped the room at the north end of the corridor. That one should have been next, but now that I look at it, there are no security systems in there at all. I can't see any discernible entryways but it does have a very high ceiling. It's separated from the rest of the lab by a six-foot-thick concrete wall."
"North end of the corridor?" Ron confirmed.
"Yeah." Wade answered, "There's no hallway or door to that room, but…"
"…the air ducts run straight to it." Ron finished his thought for him, "See what I was saying?"
Two minutes later, Ron dropped into the room, and found himself standing face to face with Deathray.
"Ron?" Wade asked after a moment of silence. "The suit's empty. I don't read any heat signatures inside."
Ron let out his breath slowly and looked around for the first time. His breath caught again when he spotted four more Deathray battlesuits standing in a perfect line.
"Spare battlesuits?" Ron asked.
"I guess," Wade answered, "Seems a little obsessive."
"This from the guy who made six Ronin outfits" Ron teased.
"Touché" Wade said sarcastically.
Ron moved about the room. The massive, motionless Deathrays, standing like grim sentinels in the darkened lab, creeped him out a little. On the far end of the room was an open door leading to another room.
"I'm gonna go check that out," Ron informed his partner.
He crept through the door and into the far room. This room was very dark, and very cold. Ron found a light switch.
After flipping the switch, Ron turned around to find:
"Ray!" he yelped.
Ray Beam was standing there, staring at…as best Ron could tell he was staring at something on the wall behind him. It was then Ron noticed that Ray was encased in some kind of cryogenic tube; he was being held in suspended animation.
"Scanning" Wade said without being asked. "The DNA is human, but I have no way to verify if it's him."
"What do you think?" Ron asked, not taking his eyes off Ray.
"Best guess?" Wade offered, "Probably a clone. What do you think?"
"I don't know", Ron said, "KP usually figures out these things."
"Usually?" Wade asked, amused.
"Hey, wow", Ron said, a little confused, "There hasn't been a 'usually' in like, six years. Where did that come from?"
Ron looked around the room.
"OK, Wade," he said "Theorize. What do you do with five extra Deathray suits and a clone?"
Ron moved down the center of the room, "No, wait, make that six clones. All of them Ray Beam."
"Good question," Wade speculated, "Villains usually don't use clones. Too unpredictable."
"How so?" Ron asked.
"When you clone someone," Wade explained, "All you can do is clone their physiological make-up; hair, skin, everything that's a body part, including the brain."
"Uh huh"
"But what you can't duplicate are things like emotions, intentions, moral beliefs, things like that. Often villains who use clones run into problems when the clones develop their own emotional responses and decide they'd rather not take over the world or whatever. That's why they often cross-clone them with some kind of vicious animal." Wade exposited.
"OK, so we're missing something here." Ron concluded.
"Step closer to that one, let me take a more in-depth scan." Wade told him.
Ron reluctantly did so. Standing this close to a zombified Ray Beam was giving him the serious willies.
"I'm reading a small metallic mass in the skull cavity, it looks like a sophisticated piece of electronic equipment. And apparently the brain has been removed." Wade said in a slightly horrified tone, "What do you make of that?"
"You're the genius in this partnership, you tell me!" Ron insisted.
Silence. Ron could sense Wade was thinking hard.
"I got nothin'." Wade said finally.
"That's my line" Ron protested. "You think it might have anything to do with Kim?"
"Wait a minute" Wade said quickly. Ron could hear him punching some buttons. "OK, Kim's been working on artificial brain technology. She's successfully been able to scan the brain of a lab rat onto an artificial brain. The problem is, she's never been able to get the electronic equipment that houses the artificial brain smaller than a telephone booth."
"Wade", Ron said quietly, "You know how you pilot the Ninjet via a transmitted signal? Could that same principle apply here?"
"That's IT!" Wade shouted, "Ron, you're a genius!"
"Yes!" Ron exclaimed, "Now let's pretend I have no idea why you just said that!"
"OK", Wade said, talking fast, "I'm reading here that Kim's lab has applied to the government for permission to begin human testing on her artificial brain technology. What if she's already done an unofficial scan on a human brain?"
"Not following." Ron said dully.
"If you could somehow implant a signal receiver that attached to the human spinal column inside the skull cavity of a clone, then you wouldn't need to shrink the brain down to the size of a human head. The artificial brain could stay in one place and transmit signals to the receiver. Any signals; from the regulation of the heart and other bodily functions, to higher levels of thought. All of it could be transmitted to the receiver and the body would respond as though it had a brain in its head."
"But in this case," Ron said catching on "All these receivers are going to be getting a signal from just one artificial brain! Ray's! A private army getting its marching orders from one single mind! Combine that with the Deathray suits and you've got the makings of a plot to take over the world!"
"I think we've got what we came to-" Ron said turning toward the door, and then stopped.
His eye caught something in a dark corner. He walked over there, dreading what he would find, but already knowing. There, in that dark corner, encased in a cryogenic tube, was the vacant-eyed clone of Kim Possible.
"Wade" Ron whispered, terrified, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"You start, I'll finish," Wade said. He sounded as shocked as Ron felt.
"If Ray had two artificial brains, and one of them had Kim's brain scan on it. He could tweak with the information in Kim's artificial mind. Eliminate Kim's penchant for helping people, increase her desire to do evil, things like that!" Ron said in breathless horror.
"He could find and delete all references and memories of Ron Stoppable," Wade said, "So he goes off on his honeymoon with Kim…comes home alone…and activates the Kim clone without anyone suspecting a thing."
"And all the world sees is a Kim Possible who decides she likes being evil and wants to help her new husband take over the world." Ron finished. "Tell me you're recording all this."
"Of course." Wade confirmed.
"I wonder what Shego's part is in this?" Ron asked aloud.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" came a familiar voice.
Run spun around to see Shego lunging at him, her fists blazing green. He quickly stepped aside and Shego went sprawling, but quickly recovered.
"We don't have time for this" Wade informed him, "We've got to break up a wedding!"
Shego lunged again, hurling green energy at Ron. He vaulted over the cryogenic tubes.
"I'm open to suggestions!" Ron said quickly.
"How much you wanna bet her mysterious green glow is nothing more than unfocused kinetic energy?" Wade asked.
"Risky bet." Ron observed.
"I'm willing." Wade offered.
"You're not wearing the suit." Ron countered.
"Just do it, Ron."
Ron slipped around a corner to find he had flanked Shego; she was facing away from him.
"Hey, babycakes!' He said casually.
Enraged, Shego spun and blasted Ron with a burst of energy.
Nothing.
Shego advanced upon him, blasting him with every step she took.
Ron pretended to yawn.
Screaming with fury, Shego unleashed the full might of her blazing green energy on Ron, hammering him with blast after blast.
Ron found an old newspaper nearby. He picked it up and pretended to read it.
"OK" Shego said, angry and out of breath, "I get it. Your suit is designed to absorb energy."
"Absorb…"
Ron turned toward her.
"Store…"
He stretched his arms toward her and flicked his wrists.
"…and discharge!"
Shego took the full blast of her own energy at almost point blank range. She sailed through the air across the lab and crashed into a huge pile of Deathray equipment waiting to be assembled. Some of it toppled down upon her, pinning her underneath.
Ron left an angry, shouting Shego behind and hoisted himself up into the air vent.
A minute later, Ron was flattened against the back of the cockpit as the Ninjet streaked its way into the sky.
The wedding ceremony was just getting underway.
…let him speak now, or forever hold his peace.
The cockpit slid open and a cloaked Ron stood up, then allowed Wade to drop the Ninjet out from underneath him. He flattened out, tucked his arms by his sides, and put his legs together straight out behind him.
The Ninjet banked hard and flew off into the distance; a black blur against a blue sky.
Wade had said the church would be heavily guarded, but Ron didn't have much choice. In a matter of moments, she would be Ray's wife, and they would be on their way to their honeymoon. Wade had hacked into the files of a local print shop where the invitations had been printed. At the very bottom was a note:
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Beam will be departing for their honeymoon immediately following the ceremony. They cordially invite you to attend a reception the day after their return.
Ray had thought of everything.
There were guards everywhere. Global Justice had brought in helicopters with sophisticated tracking equipment. They couldn't spot Ron while he was cloaked, but he practically lit up their instruments when he pulled the chute. Every GJ agent, every private security guard, every cop in the vicinity converged on his position.
Ron landed two blocks from the church and began sprinting toward it. A wall of guards and agents rose up to meet him. He vaulted over the first row of guards and continued onward. Two helicopters swooped low and launched nets with weights attached.
They were serious about bringing him in.
Ron dodged the nets, panicked, and began to run back up the street, away from the church.
"Wade, it's too thick down here, we're gonna have to think of another approach."
No response.
"Wade! I need the jet down here, now!" Ron sounded frantic.
Still no response.
Ron looked wildly about, trying to spot the Ninjet. He couldn't see it at all. He turned and looked behind him. Global Justice agents were gaining on him.
No! his mind screamed in a blind panic, I can't go down like this!
He ducked up a driveway and ran through the space between two houses.
But they had anticipated this.
Two burly guards tackled Ron and dragged him to the ground.
"Wade!" Ron had the wind knocked out of him, he was trying to catch his breath, "Wade! Answer me! Can you hear me?"
An abstract thought occurred to him. It was possible Global Justice might be using communications jamming devices.
He struggled against his captors, but too many strong arms prevented him from moving.
"Wade!" he pleaded.
Ron was handcuffed and dragged to a waiting car.
"Wade!"
The car sped off, barely allowing time for the door close after Ron was shoved inside.
"No! You can't do this!" Ron practically screamed, "You don't understand! Kim's life is in danger! No! Please STOP THE CAR!"
Ron Stoppable was hauled away.
The minister was just getting to the part Kim dreaded hearing. She closed her eyes. She had heard a commotion outside just a few minutes ago and somehow knew it had to be Ron, but then the commotion seemed to move away, down the street. Things began to quiet down again. Her heart just ached for Ron. It was so sad how her best friend had become such a sorry existence. Again, she swallowed her tears.
"If anyone can show just cause why these two should not be joined together", the minister spoke placidly, "Let him speak now or forever hold his peace."
Then the minister paused.
Kim squeezed her eyes shut.
"Ray!" came a timid and breathless shout from the back of the sanctuary, "I need to borrow your cell phone!"
Mortified, Kim turned around and looked down the aisle to the source of the voice that had just spoken.
"Wade?"
